Elder Yang Shi hurried to the competition arena after collecting the Formation-Tier Transcendent Sky-Lotus seeds that had been synthesized.
The competition was about to begin, and as one of the representatives of the Alchemy Pavilion, he couldn't afford to miss such an event. After all, that day's event was hosted by his own pavilion, and he held a very important role in it.
Being the opening event and also the first competition among various pavilions held by the sect, most disciples and elders were present to witness that historic moment.
Aotian, in his main body, accompanied by the blonde Rihai, was already seated in the stands, watching the excitement of the crowd.
"Who do you think will win?" Rihai asked into his ear, speaking louder due to the noise of the crowd.
They could have used sound transmission, but that would have ruined a bit of the fun of being in such a lively environment.
Besides, it wasn't like they were discussing anything secret.
Aotian, in his main body, chuckled softly and replied in her ear.
"As for first and third place, I'm not sure, but no one can steal second place from Cang Song," he said playfully, recalling that silly disciple.
As Cang Song's master, he knew him well.
Rihai looked at him with confusion but soon remembered that somewhat peculiar disciple with whom they had little contact. For some reason, Cang Song always seemed to run away when he saw them and most of the time looked like he was afraid of his own shadow.
As a direct disciple of the Alchemy Pavilion, it was natural to assume he would take first place. Even if he wasn't the best, at the very least, third place was expected. So she didn't understand why Aotian had specifically said second place was his.
She was about to ask when a powerful aura burst forth in the middle of the stadium. Everyone fell silent immediately and looked up toward the sky above the arena, where a man stood in midair, dressed in elegant black robes adorned with golden dragon patterns. The wind rustled his clothes, giving him an immortal and mysterious air.
Who else could it be but the showy sect leader, with his indifferent face and hands clasped behind his back, exuding majesty?
"Elders and disciples of the Infinite Dao Sect," he spoke with a commanding and firm voice. "Today marks the first day of the sect's annual internal competition. I believe you are all aware and eager for the rewards awaiting the top ranks. But I hope you understand that there is always someone better, and a sky above the sky. Within the Infinite Dao Sect, crouching tigers and hidden dragons can be found everywhere."
His words silenced the excitement of many, both among the audience and the competitors.
Over the past year, all the disciples had experienced what it meant to be called a genius — or rather, a monster of talent. Their growth in power and skill was undeniable, and that had made them somewhat arrogant and overly confident.
But with the sect leader's words, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over them. They realized that they had only become this strong because of the sect, and that they weren't unique.
The confidence of many faltered at that instant.
Seeing the uncertain gazes among the crowd, Tian Zhu remained calm and indifferent.
"I don't say such things to discourage you. If you lose confidence over something so simple, then you disappoint me and all the elders who have invested our time in you. We can help you reach great power, but the heart of a strong person can only be cultivated by yourselves."
His firm words resonated in the hearts of the disciples. Many who had lowered their heads felt their hearts tremble. They quickly raised their eyes, clenched their fists, and reignited their resolve.
Only then did they realize that, although they had become strong, their hearts had not been tempered along the way. But now that they had noticed it, they wouldn't let it happen again. If not for themselves, then for the sect that had given them so many opportunities.
Seeing the confidence return to the gazes of thousands of disciples, Tian Zhu remained expressionless, but a slight nod could be seen. That alone was enough to further ignite the determination of the crowd.
"Do your best. Victory or defeat does not matter. What matters is that if you don't give your all, only regrets and doubts will remain in the future."
His gaze swept over the entire crowd with authority.
"Do not aim only for rewards. Aim to showcase your talent. After all, this is the stage where your skills will be tested and displayed. Where your names may echo among your peers and where you may catch the attention of the elders, with great chances of being promoted to inner or even core disciples."
"At this moment, I, Tian Zhu, Sect Leader of the Infinite Dao Sect, declare the beginning of the first edition of the sect's internal competitions!"
With calm composure, he swung his arm as he made the declaration.
"OOOAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers and bright eyes. Flames of determination burned in everyone's chest after the leader's speech and the official start of the competition.
Tian Zhu flew to the main viewing platform of the stadium, where he and the other elders would watch the event.
In the stands, Aotian smiled with satisfaction and whispered into Rihai's ear.
"The sect leader sure knows how to give a good speech, huh?" he shamelessly praised himself without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"Uh? Well, that he does…" Rihai agreed, but for some reason, she suddenly felt an urge to smack the smug Aotian sitting beside her.
In the arena, hundreds of disciples — most wearing gray robes, some white, and only Cang Song, hidden in a corner, dressed in white robes with golden patterns — were preparing.
All of them wore determined and fiery looks, except for Cang Song, who was slightly sweating.
'I have to give it my all. If I show too much skill, I'll attract unwanted attention. But if I hold back too much, I might offend others — they'll think I'm just an incompetent alchemist, even though I'm the first and only current direct disciple of the Alchemy Pavilion — and that could stir up trouble for me.'
He reasoned nervously. He not only had to control his level of performance but also evaluate the other competitors to adjust his own accordingly.
If it weren't for being forced to participate by his master — and for also wanting to save contribution points by earning a free technique — he wouldn't have even shown up.
'Second place! Second place is my goal! Not low enough to look weak, and not high enough to attract attention. The runner-up never gets anywhere near the spotlight the champion receives, and doesn't even get the sympathy or attention that third place gets. Second place is the quiet, middle ground among the winners — and that's exactly where I need to be.'
He resolved firmly. His determined gaze made many believe he was ready to fight for first place.
Aotian, watching all of this with amusement, wondered how the crowd would react if they knew Cang Song's true motivations, just as he did.
Cang Song might be considered good at alchemy, but in the art of being discreet, he was a true master.
His only weakness in this unorthodox cultivation art was called Elder Zhao.
Yang Shi, with a calm and gentle smile, stepped onto an elevated podium in the arena, facing the hundreds of disciples already seated on mats with their cauldrons in front of them.
"Today's competition will be divided into four stages. With each stage, the pill's difficulty will increase, as will the time available. Those with the best pills will advance, and the winners will be decided based on the overall quality of the pills in each cauldron. In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be the fastest refinement time."
Yang Shi explained the rules calmly and smiled, receiving a respectful nod from everyone.
"Good. The rules are that, at the end of each round of refinement, the pill cauldron must remain sealed until inspected. If it's opened without permission, the contestant will be disqualified from the competition. Each participant will be provided with ingredients for a single batch of pills. The use of personal materials is strictly forbidden."
He waved his hand, and from his storage ring, thousands of sets of herbs and ingredients appeared, separating and flying smoothly and precisely to each competitor's side.
Storage rings were no longer a novelty in the sect.
By that point, Aotian could already refine them and possessed plenty of materials, so he created several extremely high-quality rings of the same grade and made them available for a relatively low price in contribution points. The disciples wasted no time buying them since they were incredibly useful both for daily life and sect missions.
Thus, practically everyone in the sect had one now — a remarkable display of wealth and power in a desert continent where even Golden Core sect leaders didn't always possess one.
Seeing that everyone had received their ingredients and was ready, Yang Shi didn't waste any more time.
"We will begin with the Bone Recovery Pill of the early Founder-Tier stage. You will have ten minutes. Starting... now!"
He declared loudly, and the audience held their breath, focused and surprised by the sudden start.
The competitors assumed solemn expressions and began to perform at their best... including Cang Song.
'Damn! Damn! Damn! I forgot to practice making pills slowly! How could I have been so careless?!'
He was sweating profusely as he tried his best to slow down his pill-making process, which he had trained to be extremely fast.
Aotian, watching everything while amused, his arm wrapped around Rihai's shoulder as he whispered to her, couldn't help but roll his eyes upon hearing certain comments from the crowd.
"Look how Senior Brother Cang is giving his all even for such a simple pill! Look how he's sweating! Senior Brother Cang is truly an example of perseverance."
"Yes! Senior Brother Cang is amazing!"
Aotian's mouth twitched fiercely at such comments.
He wasn't entirely sure why Cang Song was trying so hard, but he had no doubt that the discreet guy wasn't striving to do his best — he was trying his best not to be the best.
Minutes flew by, and many finished their pills around the five-minute mark. Cang Song waited another minute before finishing his — and by then, he was already exhausted from trying to delay the process.
Normally, for this type of pill, not minutes — he barely needed a few dozen seconds.
In fact, if outsiders saw those disciples refining Founder-Tier pills in just five minutes, they would faint from shock.
The normal time to produce such a pill, even for someone experienced and skilled, was at least two hours. Yet there, ordinary disciples of the Infinite Dao Sect were shattering records in astonishing fashion. Not even Core-Tier alchemists could craft that type of pill so quickly or with such high quality.
And Cang Song was even more monstrous, capable of finishing it in under a minute when he was serious.
Soon, the ten minutes ended, and everyone had already completed their pills.
Outer elders, positioned around to prevent any cheating, began moving from cauldron to cauldron, opening them and inspecting the pills inside.
They weren't just elders from the Alchemy Pavilion, since all the elders — who were actually Aotian in different bodies — logically possessed equal knowledge in alchemy. Thus, he had deployed more avatars to assist, avoiding the impression that the pavilion was poor for having only four outer elders.
Slowly, the inspection ended, and the elders gathered on the stage where Yang Shi stood, placing their hands over an orb on a pedestal.
"The elders are inputting the points received, along with the time spent by each competitor in alchemy. The points are determined by the number of pills created in each cauldron and the quality each one achieved. The formation will then calculate the final score and display it."
Yang Shi explained as the last elders finished their entries.
He then walked up to the pedestal and activated it, projecting a light screen with a long list of all competitors' names.
Out of 863 participants, the names ranked from 501st and below were marked in red, indicating they hadn't advanced to the second round.
One name in particular, located near the top, caught Aotian's attention, deepening his playful smile.
'That guy...'
[Cang Song – First Round: 40 points – Rank: 4th place]